WELCH, W.Va. — Local, state and national dignitaries were in Welch Monday morning to celebrate the official groundbreaking of Renaissance Village, a housing project for teachers.

Gayle Manchin, chair of Reconnecting McDowell, pounds a nail at the groundbreaking of Renaissance Village, a housing project for teachers.

A $7 million project by the revitalization group Reconnecting McDowell, the four-story facility, which is located beside the movie theater in downtown Welch, will include 16 apartments designed specifically to house teachers, offering rental property at an affordable price.

It will also include retail commercial space.

Gayle Manchin, chair of Reconnecting McDowell as well as former teacher and past chair of the state Board of Education, led the event. “This is a beautiful day in West Virginia,” she said. “This is a more beautiful day in Welch in McDowell County. We have waited for this day and worked for this day for longer than we wanted to have worked for this day …” …